North Korean foreign minister Ri Son-gwon rules out talks with US as they would ‘get us nowhere’

Sung Kim, the top US envoy in charge of North Korea negotiations, visited South Korea this week aiming to restart diplomacy

US hopes for a revival of talks were earlier this week rebuffed by Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

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North Korean foreign minister Ri Son-gwon. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:33pm, 23 Jun 2021Updated: 1:11am, 24 Jun 2021

North Korea’s foreign minister on Wednesday ruled out any talks with the United States, saying dialogue with Washington would “get us nowhere”.

His comments come after Sung Kim, the top US envoy in charge of North Korea negotiations, visited South Korea this week in a bid to restart diplomacy with the nuclear-armed nation.

But US hopes for a revival of talks were rebuffed by influential official Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader, saying Washington had “wrong” expectations for dialogue.

Foreign minister Ri Son-gwon on Wednesday said he welcomed Kim’s rejection of the “hasty judgment, conjecture and expectation of the US”.

“We are not considering even the possibility of any contact with the US, let alone having it, which would get us nowhere, only taking up precious time,” he was quoted as having said by the state-run KCNA news agency.

Since US President Joe Biden’s election win, the two countries have adopted a wait-and-see attitude to relations – in marked contrast to the diplomatic roller-coaster ride under Donald Trump that produced historic meetings with leader Kim Jong-un but no agreement on dismantling the North’s nuclear arsenal.

The White House promised a “practical, calibrated approach” – including diplomatic efforts – in a recent review of its strategy to persuade the impoverished North to give up its nuclear and missile programme.